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“Oh, of course.” Andi nodded. “What do I have to do?”
It turned out that what they needed to do was strip Thrax naked and pour the silvery water of the fountain over his body. It was a ritual cleansing but it felt significant to Andi, especially when her partner looked at her with recognition in his eyes and said,
“Andi?”
“Yes, it’s me,” Andi assured him.
“Uh, what am I doing here?” Thrax looked around the moonlight glade and then down at himself. He was still kneeling in the grass beside the fountain. “And why am I fucking naked?”
“Hush, warrior. You are being cleansed,” the priestess said, frowning severely.
“It’s a ceremony to help cleanse your past,” Andi explained. “Just hold still—we’ll be done soon.”
“By the will of the Goddess, who loves all her children equally, I cleanse you from sin and shame and wrong. The past can no longer harm you—you are healed,” the priestess said as she flicked the cool water of the fountain over Thrax’s big body. She looked at Andi. “Now take a double handful of water and repeat after me.”
Andi scooped up the cold, clear water in her cupped hands and looked at the priestess expectantly.
“Say these words: I cleanse you warrior, with the waters of the Goddess’s fountain. By her power, I clear you of wrong and comfort you. I heal you with the love I bear you.”
Andi repeated the words.
“Good, now pour the water over his head,” the priestess ordered.
Again, Andi did as she was told. Thrax sputtered as the cold water ran down his neck and face, but he didn’t object. Instead he kept his eyes on Andi, watching her as she finished the ritual.
“And now, warrior, I proclaim you cleaned and healed in the eyes of the Goddess,” the priestess said to him. “Go and do not let the past trouble you—look ahead into the future and be content.”
“Thank you.” Thrax nodded and finally rose from his kneeling position. “Er, does anyone know where my fucking clothes are?” he asked.
He sounded so much like his old self that Andi wanted to cry! Healed, he’s really healed! she thought. The Cleansing Ceremony and the Deep Healing had accomplished what years of therapy couldn’t have—her partner was back to normal again.
As Thrax located his clothing and went to the other side of the fountain to get dressed, the priestess came to talk to Andi.
“Well, I believe the ceremony was a success,” she said, nodding confidently.
“Yes—he’s definitely back to his old self. Thank you so much!” Andi wanted to hug her, but she looked too stern, so she just smiled at the other woman.
“You did much more than I did,” the priestess said. “I only facilitated the process. You were the one who healed and protected your partner.”
“Is he really healed though?” Andi asked anxiously. “I mean, permanently?”
“He is healed and he will have little memory of that part of his past now,” the priestess told her. “He will also have little memory of the mission the two of you went on which triggered his pain in the first place.”
Andi frowned.
“So…the whole mission to Salacious Delta will just be gone? Wiped out completely?”
“Yes.” The priestess nodded. “If he remembers anything at all, it will be as though he is remembering an old story about someone else that someone told him long ago. That part of his past will be faded—which I think you must admit is best for him.”
“Yes. Yes, absolutely.” Andi nodded. But she couldn’t help thinking how close she and her partner had gotten during their last mission…the way they had admitted to wanting each other…the way Thrax had told her he fantasized about her. Not to mention how physical they had gotten.
But it’s better if he forgets everything and we just go back to being best friends, she told herself. She would rather have that any day than have her partner on the brink of suicide! If she had to have Thrax as just a friend for the rest of her life, it was worth it.
So when he finished getting dressed, she nudged him with an elbow and said,
“Come on, partner—let’s get out of here.”
They left the Sacred Grove together and Andi knew she was doing the right thing…even if it meant she and her partner would never be together as anything but friends.
